ORR_01092014

Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON
Republican Reporter
January 9, 2014 Volume 164, Number 4 - $1.00
Hall of Fame
Tree Pick-up
Funding Cut
Retired Oregon track coach Doug Engle will be
inducted into coaches Hall of Fame. A10
Local FFA members will pick up
Christmas trees Jan. 11. B4
An unexpected state funding cut means area
school districts must dig deeper to pay bill. A2
Extra time off after
-20 temps cover area
By Vinde Wells
Editor
Students in schools across
Ogle County got their
Christmas break extended on
both ends thanks to the quirks
of the weather.
Vacation started a day
early when an ice storm led
to classes being called off on
Dec. 20, which was supposed
to be the last day of school
before the holidays.
Then bitter arctic cold with
strong winds swept in Sunday
night, breaking 20-year-old
records and closing schools
Monday and Tuesday, which
would have the first days
back for students.
Ogle
County
Sheriff
Michael Harn said the
mercury had dipped to
37 Degree
Plunge
What a difference
36 hours makes. On
Saturday morning
temperatures in Oregon
at the Rock River Center
sign were perfect for a
beach when compared
to the -12 degree
temperature the Oregon
Fire Protection District
sign showed on Monday
morning. The cold
temperatures and drifting
snow led to numerous
school closings in the
county. Photos by Chris
Johnson
The
extreme
subzero
temperatures have left some
county snowplows in the shop
just when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re needed on
the roads.
Ogle County Engineer
Curtis Cook said the extreme
weather has caused some
trucks to malfunction.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right
now
the
temperatures are causing
havoc,â&#x20AC;? said Cook Monday
morning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over the last 24
hours we have had trucks
freeze up.â&#x20AC;?
The malfunctions are due
to the blowing fine snow and
the extreme cold and wind.
This has left 3 or 4 of the
county snowplow fleet on
Tom Mahoney
Oregon Superintendent
-20 degrees at his home
in Forreston by Monday
morning. The winds were
estimated at 25 to 35 miles
per hour.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the wind that put the
wind chill at -49,â&#x20AC;? Harn said.
Tuesday morning was only
slightly better the temperature
at -13 degrees and somewhat
diminished winds.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a safety issue. We
canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have kids outside in
weather like this,â&#x20AC;? Oregon
Superintendent
Tom
Mahoney said Monday, after
canceling classes for the
second day.
School wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only
thing closed.
Ogle County government
offices and the judicial center
was closed both days, and
the Oregon City Hall was
shuttered on Monday.
The Polo City Council
and Forreston Village Board
canceled their Monday night
meetings and rescheduled
them.
Mahoney said the district
Turn to A2
Police searching for a
man who is on the run
Extreme temperatures
cause some breakdowns
By Chris Johnson
Reporter
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a safety issue. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have kids
outside in weather like this,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now the temperatures are
causing havoc,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
Curtis Cook
Ogle County Engineer
the sidelines to deal with
the drifting snow on county
roads.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think this morning alone
I have had 3 or 4 of the 13
trucks down,â&#x20AC;? said Cook.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their filter systems have
frozen up.â&#x20AC;?
This was just one issue
the trucks were having when
the temperature outside was
nearing 20 below with wind
chills of 40 below.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been an uphill
battle,â&#x20AC;? said Cook. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our guys
are working hard to keep the
An Ogle County Highway Department truck drives into
Oregon Saturday morning during a light snowfall. The
highway department has faced numerous breakdowns
due to the extreme cold temperatures that blanketed the
area Monday and Tuesday. Photo by Chris Johnson
In This Weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Edition...
trucks running and the roads
open.â&#x20AC;?
Steady winds of 15-20
miles per hour and gusts over
30 have contributed to the
drifting on the road.
Fortunately, the winds
have been from different
directions over the past few
days, Cook said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every road in the county
has experienced drifting
however it is not horrible
because the drifts are lower
because of the wind direction
changes.â&#x20AC;?
He said if the wind was
all out of one direction then
the drifting would have been
high enough that only heavy
equipment would have been
able to clear the roads.
With the shift in winds
there was drifting but each
drift was smaller than they
could have been.
Any drifted roads that the
county snowplows are unable
to clear during routine routes
will be addressed when the
wind speed lowers.
When the winds finally die
down and the temperature
rises, Cook said a front end
loader will be utilized to help
clear the edges of the roads
and push the drifts back.
Church Bells, A5
Classifieds, B5-B10
Entertainment, A6
Fines, B4
Ogle County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Police are searching for a
Davis Junction man who is
on the run.
Sheriff Michael Harn and
the sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s department are
seeking help from the public
in locating Terry D. Maxwell,
56, who is wanted in
connection with a residential
burglary and armed violence
that occurred shortly before 2
p.m. on Christmas Eve near
Davis Junction.
Deputies responded to a
home in the 15,000 block
of East Ill. 72 for a reported
residential
burglary
in
progress after a male subject
was found inside the home.
The suspect, who was
later identified as Maxwell,
threatened the victim with a
metal bar, fled the location,
and led Ogle County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Deputies on a high speed
pursuit.
The
pursuit
ended
as the suspect entered
Winnebago County while
driving a maroon 1999 Dodge
Concord that was recovered
several days later by Ogle
County detectives in the
area of East State Street and
Madison Street, Rockford.
Detectives have obtained
a $500,000 warrant for
Maxwell, who was last know
to be driving a white 1997
four-door Chevrolet Malibu
with Illinois registration
R998548.
Maxwell was released
from the Illinois Department
of Corrections in September
of 2013 and is currently out
on parole for residential
Terry D. Maxwell
burglary.
Anyone having information
in locating Maxwell can
contact Rockford Area Crime
Stoppers at 815-963-7867 or
Ogle-Lee Crime Stoppers at
888-228-4488.
Crime Stoppers offers
a reward of up to $1,000
for information leading to
Maxwellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrest.
Banjos were made in Oregon
Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
note:
Paul
Salstrom is a history
professor at St. Mary-of-theWoods College near Terre
Haute, Ind.Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note:
Paul Salstrom is a history
professor at St. Mary-of-theWoods College near Terre
Haute, Ind.
By Paul Salstrom
While searching recently
for something on google.
com, I impulsively clicked
on something else that said
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Salstrom banjos.â&#x20AC;?
That led to a website called
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Banjo Hangout.â&#x20AC;?
As a
result, I learned a lot more
about Salstrom banjos than I
used to know.
I learned that, over the
years, many postings at Banjo
Hangout had called Salstrom
banjos unique and had asked
how they came about.
No one knew much â&#x20AC;&#x201D; just
that they first appeared in
the early 1960s and then in
the mid-1960s were bought Phil Salstrom III, Oregon, plays a Salstrom banjo,
out by Fender Electric continuing a long-standing family tradition. Photo by
Turn to B1 Chris Johnson
Library News, A3
Marriage Licenses, A4
Public Voice, A9
Property Transfers, B4
Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arrests, B4
Social News, A4
Sports, B1
State Police, B2
Deaths, B2
Willis M. Collman, Joseph Draugelis,
Karen M. Martin, Alan R. Steele,
Kenneth E. Tornow
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